Invitations to Express Entry candidates with a provincial nomination on the rise

According to new data from the Government of Canada, invitations issued to Express Entry candidates with a provincial nomination for permanent residence are up this year.

Out of 62,500 Express Entry candidates invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence between January and September, 12 per cent had a provincial nomination.

During the same period in 2017, Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued to Express Entry candidates nominated by a Canadian province, stood at just over 9 per cent of all invitations issued.

Canada’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) works to spread the benefits of immigration more evenly across Canada by allowing participating provinces and territories to nominate a set number of economic immigration candidates for permanent residence each year.

Every province and territory with an immigrant nominee program now has at least one immigration stream that is linked to the federal Express Entry system, which manages the pool of candidates for Canada’s 3 main economic immigration programs – The Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class, and the Canadian Experience Class.

The rising number of candidates in the Express Entry pool with a provincial nomination and the 600 points may be partly responsible for the increase that has been seen in the Express Entry minimum scores in 2018, which haven’t gone below 440.

If the trend continues, obtaining a provincial nomination may now be one of the best bets for receiving an ITA for Express Entry candidates with scores below 440.

Exponentially growing PNP

The increase in ITAs issued to provincial nominees reflects the growing importance of the PNP to the federal government’s overall immigration strategy.

Canada’s new multi-year immigration level plan has admissions through the PNP set to rise by 6,000 next year, to 61,000.

By 2021, these admissions are expected to reach 71,300 – an increase of nearly 30 per cent over 2018’s target of 55,000.

In its 2018 report to Parliament, IRCC noted that the PNP has grown ‘exponentially’ since its implementation in 1996 – from 233 admissions in 1996 to 49,724 in 2017.

Of the nearly 50,000 new permanent residents admitted through the PNP in 2017, 13,531 were Express Entry candidates and their family members. IRCC said this was an increase of 73 per cent over Express Entry admissions in 2016.

Canada’s Unemployed Rate Down To 40-Year Low

November 2018 was a historic month for Canada’s labour force as unemployment fell to its lowest monthly rate since 1976, according to Statistics Canada’s monthly Labour Force Survey. 

The unemployment rate, which can be defined as the number of unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, plunged to 5.6 per cent last month — a number that hasn’t been reached in over 40 years.

Around 19 million people were employed in Canada in November, an increase of 0.5 per cent over the previous month of October.

Ø  Employment boost in six provinces

Six Canadian provinces witnessed employment increase in November, with Quebec and Alberta received the highest gains.

In Quebec, the number of employed swelled by 26,000 in November, mainly as the result of full-time work. Over four million people in Quebec were employed in November and the province’s unemployment rate positioned at 5.4 per cent, a little below the national rate of 5.6 per cent.

While talking about Alberta, employment rose by 24,000 in the province, all thanks to gains in full-time work. Apart from it, Ontario also noticed employment rise, with 20,000 more people employed in November here.

Employment also increased in British Columbia in November, as 16,000 more people employed than the previous month. Regardless of a slight increase in November, the province’s unemployment rate (4.4 per cent) remained among the lowest in Canada.

The Provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba also saw employment gains in November of 5,500 and 2,600, respectively.

Ø  Industries in focus

In terms of industries, Statistics Canada stated that the most momentous employment gains in November occurred in professional, scientific and technical services, which recorded an increase of 26,000, with most of the growth in Ontario and Quebec.

Many of the employment gains in November 2018 were thanks to increases in the construction, transport and warehousing sectors as a total of 24,000 extra jobs were created across these three sectors. Besides, employment in health care and social assistance also rose in November, with a gain of 19,000.

Top 5 European Countries to Look For Investment Opportunities

Europe is a very attractive continent for foreign investors thanks to the variety offered by each country as well as the European Union block which offers unity, stability and easy access to other markets. But when being required to choose the best country to invest in Europe, what does one choose?

Here is a list of top 5 countries in Europe that offer investors excellent strategic business investment opportunities.

1.       Greece

Greece offers attractive investment opportunities to investors in a wide variety of sectors. The country’s

massive reform efforts are opening new investment frontiers that not only reward first movers but established players as well. Greece is expected to see sustained growth in tourism, energy, ICT, food, logistics, beverage and agriculture, and life sciences in coming decade. The country’s newly designed investment framework supports the creation of new businesses, new synergies and new partnerships, which make it a perfect destination for investors.

2.       Portugal

In recent years, Portugal has taken great strides to boost growth by increasing its competitiveness and easing the process of investing and doing business in the country. Recent reforms in competition law and country’s positive approach towards international business has made it much easier to invest in Portugal. The country offers a strategic location, easy access to key markets, skilled human resources, competitive costs and top infrastructures, which are the top qualities investors generally look for.

3.       Cyprus

Cyprus has become increasingly popular to overseas investors in recent years. With an aim to incentivize more foreign investment, the Cypriot government has introduced a citizenship by investment scheme, where investors can obtain Cypriot citizenship. Apart from it, the country’s location has also been a key factor that is attracting investors. Due to its unique location, Cyprus has been an important hub for trade for many decades.

4.       Spain

Spain is one of the fastest growing economies in the European Union. Factors improving Spain’s economic situation include the labor market and the banking sector. Adaptability and flexibility are Spain’s two strongest points when it comes to welcoming foreign investors. There are no strict restrictions applied to foreign investors/citizens coming to establish businesses in Spain. Moreover, they get benefit from the same conditions for opening a company in Spain as any other local businesses.

5.       Malta

Malta is one of the best countries in Europe to invest. There are a plethora of reasons for investing in this emerging economy. Despite being one of the smallest countries in the world and in Europe, Malta has one of the greatest densities in population. Although there are cheaper foreign direct investment locations, Malta offers definite advantages to investors  in terms of quality, product turnover, specialized production runs, product development as well as sales and marketing into Europe and North Africa.

New immigration pathway opens for international graduates in Manitoba

A new immigration pathway for international graduates of post-secondary institutions in Manitoba is open to Expressions of Interest from eligible candidates.

To become eligible for the Career Employment Pathway, candidates must have graduated from a full-time program of at least one year / two semesters and should be living in the province at the time they submit their 

Expression of Interest (EOI).

Among other criteria, candidates must also have:

·         a full-time job offer from an eligible current employer in an occupation in-demand in Manitoba and is consistent with their training and education;

OR

·         completed a bridging program and passed the initial stage of certification as determined by the relevant regulatory body.

Interested international students can apply immediately after completing graduation and must be living in Canada.

The pathway’s opening on 30 November, 2018 brings the number of immigration options for international students in Manitoba to three under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP)’s new International 

Education Stream.

The other two pathways – the Graduate Internship Pathway and International Student Entrepreneur Pathway were unveiled on November 1.

The MPNP stated that attracting and retaining international graduates from Manitoba’s post-secondary institutions along with training to support innovation has been a key element of the MPNP’s renewal program.

New Brunswick reopens its Express Entry Labour Market Stream

The province of New Brunswick has reopened its Express Entry Labour Market Stream under the New Brunswick’s Provincial Nominee Program (the NBPNP) on November 28 to eligible Express Entry candidates after closing it temporarily in September.

The Express Entry Labour Market stream allows province to nominate eligible candidates in the federal Express Entry system for Canadian permanent residence.

The federal Express Entry system manages the pool of candidates for Canada’s three major Federal High Skilled economic immigration programs:  the Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSW), Federal Skilled Trades Class (FST) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

Express Entry candidates with a provincial nomination from New Brunswick receive an additional 600 points toward their comprehensive ranking score, which effectively guarantees an invitation to apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence.

The New Brunswick’s Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) set five important criteria that Express Entry candidates must meet to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) during this latest opening and submissions that do not meet all five criteria will be rejected. These include:

·         The applicant must have an Express Entry profile and a valid Express Entry profile number and Job Seeker validation code;

·         The candidates should currently be living and working in New Brunswick, and needs to submit a letter of employment from the employer along with his/her EOI;

·         The National Occupational Classification code for their current job must be for an occupation rated NOC Level 0, A, or B, and this code must be included with the EOI;

·         The applicant must have valid language test scores (IELTS, CELPIP, or TEF Canada) equivalent to CLB 7 in all four language competencies and he/she must submit a copy of these test results with the EOI;

·         The candidates must have a valid Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) that attests to a minimum equivalent of a Canadian high school diploma.

The recent NBPNP’s update did not indicate work experience in a priority occupation, which was an important requirement in previous Express Entry openings.

The New Brunswick’s Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) is one of Canada’s popular Provincial Nominee Programs, through which provinces nominate individuals for Canadian permanent residence.

Applicants must score at least 67 points under the Express Entry Labour Market Stream points grid to enter into the EOI pool of candidates.

Saskatchewan issues 514 invitations to Express Entry & Occupation In-Demand candidates in latest draws

The province of Saskatchewan issued new invitations to apply (ITA) for a provincial nomination to candidates in its International Skilled Worker immigration category in latest round that took place on November 23. It also includes 247 invitations to candidates in the federal Express Entry system. 

Another 267 invitations have been issued to Saskatchewan’s Occupation In-Demand sub-category candidates with a minimum score of 64. However, the lowest-ranked Express Entry candidate had a score of 63 under province’s International Skilled Worker point grid in this latest draw.

Those Express Entry candidates who apply for and receive a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 points toward their Express Entry ranking score, which directly increase their chances to receive an invitation from the Government of Canada to apply for permanent residence in a subsequent Express Entry selection round.

Currently being one of the most popular immigration programs in the world; the Express Entry system manages the pool of candidates for Canada’s three major federal economic immigration categories — the Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSW), the Federal Skilled Trades Class (FST) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

The Express Entry candidates, who want to be considered for immigration to Saskatchewan, need to register a separate profile with the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) under its Expression of Interest (EOI) system.

The November 23 draws were the fifth for both sub-categories, i.e International Skilled Worker and Occupation In-Demand since the province of Saskatchewan switched them from a first-come, first-served approach to an Expression of Interest (EOI) system in July.

Saskatchewan has now issued a total of 3,337 invitations through its International Skilled Worker Expression of Interest system, out of which 1,552 were issued to Express Entry candidates while 1,785 went to Occupation In-Demand candidates.

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